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N. SPOFFORD 8v 0. OORLISS. INSTRUMENT FOR ADDING'AND REGISTERING NUMBERS.

No. 79,272. Patented June 23, 1868.

' ains W g NELSON SPOFFOR'D AND'OHARLES GORLISS, 0F HAl ERHILL, MASSACHU- SET'IYS, ASSIGNORS TO CHARLES 'CORLISS.

Letters Patent No= 73,272, dated June 23,-l868.

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Be it known that we, Nsnson' Srorsonn and CusnLns Conmss, both of Haverhilh'in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and improved Instrument for Adding and Registering Figures or Numbers, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 represents a front elevation of an instrument embodying our invention. I

Figiire'2 is a vertical transverse section, and

Figures 3 and 4 are views of the interior working parts of the same. f

The object of eurinvention is to produce a simple, portable, and etl'ective instrument for idding npcolumns of figures, and also for counting of and adding together measures, weights, 85s., whether in whole or fractional parts of numbers, and at the same time indicating and registering the amounts measured upon a dial attached to or forming a part of the instrument; and the invention consists of a graduated sliding rod, confined'within a casing, with one end projecting a short distance from the said, casing, and at the other end connected with a system of gearing or watch work, made to operate indicators upon a dial-plate.

The projecting end of the said bar or rod is graduated, and marked with a series of figures or'numbe'rs, and is retained in position by means of a spring, so that by pressing in the projecting end of the said bar, the line or mark dcnotin g the figure on the graduated bar that coincides with the end of the casing, will be indicated,

and at the same time registered on the dial, by which means a series of columns of figures. or amounts of measures or weights may be mechanically, accurately, and very quickly added up and registered.

Referring to the drawings, a represents a casing, oi" metal or other suitable substance, such as hard ruhb r, vgotta. percha, $0., of the general form shown in fig. 1. 1 I

, Near one end, it is of circular form, to accommodate a system of watch-work and dial-plates, and within the casing is fitted a sliding bar,-b, which projects from the end of the casing, as shown, passing thrcugha head, c, and working snugly but' freely in the same. Thebar b is maintained in its projected position by means of a sprihg;d, attachedto the bar at one end-,and at theother' to the casing.

One end-of the bar 6 passes into the-circular portion of. the casing, and is provided with a rack or series of teeth, as shown in fig. 4, which engage with a toothfwheel, e, and to'which 'it is made to impart a rotary reciprocal motion, as the bar is moved in and out of the casing.

The toothed wheel e is of a cup-shape, or hollowedout in the centre, and within the same is fitted a ratchet; vrheeLf, that engages with a pawl, k, that is pivoted to the toothed-wheel e, and moves'with it, the said pawl being held in contact with the ratchet by means of a curved spring, 9, so that as the bar 6 is moved forward in the direction of the arrow, the ratchetf will movewith the wheel e, and upon retracting the bar 6, the ratchet will be prevented from rotating backward again with the wheel e, means of a clicl: or arm, 1, engagingxwith the 'ratchetf.

The arm i is pivoted to the rear plate of the movement, and is connected to a spring-arm, i, by which it is retained in position. I

The ratchet-wheel), it will thus be seen, has a motion only in one direction, and upon its axis or spindle, which projects through the smaller dial k, is an indicator, 1, which has emotion corresponding to that of the ratchet-wheel, so that as the bar 6 is forced into the casing, it will impart a motion to the indicator corresponding with the forward movement of the said bar.

The projecting face of the bar 6 is graduated, and marked with a series of numbers, as shown, from 1 to 9, corresponding to a similar. series on.the dial 1:, and the line of coincidence of'the graduated bar with the end of the head 0 of the casing will determine the position of the indicator Z on the dial 7:.

Attached to the spindle or axis of the ratchet-wheel f, is a pinion, which engages with a toothed wheel, f, and by which motion 'may be imparted to a train of wheels and gears.

The dial-plate k designates units, and the wheel a, to which the ratchet f is connected, communicates motion to a system or gear-wheels, so as tooperate the indicators 92. 0, on the larger dial m, in a well-known manner, and so that tens, hundreds and thousands can be registercd'bn the said dial.

The bar I), and also the dial 7:, may he graduated to designate the fractional parts of-numbers.

Instead of the graduations and numbers or figures being at the end of the bar b, they may be made on the same, inside of the casing, with a hole or slot in the latter, through which the numbers, &c., maybe seen, or the graduatiens, &c., may be marked on the'casing at the side of the slot, with aprojection or point on the bar, indicating the movement of the latter.

Instead of indicators upon the dial-plate, the latter may be made with holes, through which figures on rotating wheels may be shown. I

In the rear of the circular portion of the casing a is a. thumb-piece, t, attached to the spindle, which operates the gearing that motfes the hands or indicators on the large dial m, for the purpose of setting all the hands to thb'proper starting point. I

The operation is as follows: Suppose a column of figures' is to be added up the instrument being grasped in the hand, the end of the bar 6 is placed at or near the figure to be added, each onein succession. The instrument is then pressed'donn, and the barb forced into the casing, until the end of the latter is coincident with the line e'r murkhaving thefignre or number corresponding with that at which the end of the bar is placed near; the same number is at once.iudica ted on the dial k. i

The instrument being-raised, the bar I) is projected by the spring (2, when it is again pressed upon the next figure, and so the process continues, each figure or number being taken by the end of the bar, and the total amounts successively registered on the dials. v

For instance, should the bar 6 be moved into the casing until the graduated 'line marked 3 is coincident with the end of the head a, the indicator I will point to the number 3 on the dial-plate k, and each successive number indicated on the graduated bar will be added to the amount already indicated on the dials.

The graduations on the sliding bar may be omitted, and the said bar be made to act directly on the dialplate, denoting the units, sothat the figures to be added will correspond with these on the dial plate.

Having thus described our-invention, what e claim, and desire to secure by Letters'Iatorrt, is-- 0 1. The graduated sliding spring-barb, when applied and operating substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth;

2. The sliding graduated'bar b, in combination with ratcbctfl and toothed wheel e, as and for the purpose speoiticd. J V

3. The combination, with the bar I; andwspring d, of the system of gearing, and the indicators, as set forth.

4 The combination-jot the graduated barb, casing a, and head a, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. The method of adding a series ot figures or numbers, by means of a sliding bar, operating a system of gearing orwatch-work, substantially as set forth. i

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. v I

NELSON SPOFFORD, CHARLES CORLISS. Witnesses:

C. J. Nous,

War. E. Burma 

